


The Fault of Social Media

by Nightshade_Blaize



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Found Family, Identity Reveal, Multi, Other, Parental Bonding, Post-Season/Series 03, TW: Blood for the first few chapters, it's all Adrien's fault, seriously who let this boy have twitter?, seriously ya'll Nat's dying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:57:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21751108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightshade_Blaize/pseuds/Nightshade_Blaize
Summary: It was all the fault of Adrien and that twitter account of his. Now one of the villain's knows his secret identity and means to use that to their advantage by any means necessary.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nathalie Sancoeur, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Comments: 9
Kudos: 57





	1. It Started with Twitter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lapsalove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lapsalove/gifts).



> Heyoo!!! Okay so this one's been sitting in discord for a little under two months. I love the ML fandom and all the friends I've made here

It had started with a Twitter account. 

Overnight, the official Chat Noir Twitter had become an internet sensation. The account boasted hundreds of followers and what had to be genuine photos of the hero. In doing so, it was soon followed by accounts for Ladybug as well as the rest of Paris' heroes. No one would have ever been the wiser until Adrien Agreste had accidentally made a post on the wrong account, forgetting that his account was closely monitored. 

Nathalie Sancoeur had been watching her boss' son and his Internet use for long enough. She had tracked the IP for the Chat Noir account and it came back to the mansion, because of COURSE it had to. She hadn't responded to the mistake post, she hadn't even acknowledged it existed. What she had done, however, she would later look back on as a gamble. She quickly put effort into making another account of her own; one for her alter ego. Once she was satisfied with the results, Nathalie set her plan in motion. She made contact with Adrien over his main account.

'hello kitten'

'um.. what? I think you're confused.' had been the reply. She smirked and began typing.

'I've been watching you for a while, chat noir.'

'You've got the wrong guy.'

'Oh come now kitty, not everyone's as dumb as you think.'

'I don't know what you're talking about... crazy bird.' Nathalie bit back a laugh.

'Fortunately for you, I don't feel like exposing you today. So what do you say to a little truce? You scratch my feathers, I scratch your ears. All I want from you, is your ring and your girlfriend's earrings. just for a few hours.' She knew what the response would be when she hit send.

'I'll pass.'

'What's the matter kitten? Afraid I'll stab you in the back? Good, you're smarter than you look.'

'I'm not stupid enough to trust you just because you figured out my secret identity.'

'No, however you should take into account that as of right now, I'm the _ONLY_ person who knows. and if you cooperate, it can stay that way.'

'that's kind of you, but i'm not betraying Ladybug.' she almost laughed at his 'noble' response.

'she wont notice.' this was where Nathalie decided to play hardball under her guise 'Besides, you have so much to _GAIN_... with that kind of power, you could have everything you wanted.' this was where she threw the hook 'think about it Adrien, you get your mother back, Hawkmoth achieves his goal, Paris is no longer overrun with akumas every other day, everyone wins. all you have to do, is lend me the Miraculous. You'll get them back before Ladybug even notices they're gone.' She waited for his response.

'... and what am I supposed to do? find out her identity, sneak into her room, steal her earrings, and then somehow return them without getting caught? Pass' Nathalie pursed her lips but typed again. 

'and here I thought cat's were sneaky... oh well, c'est la vie. Enjoy watching your life fall apart~'

'wait.'  
'what's your offer?'

Nathalie grinned but sent him a picture of the peacock miraculous. 

'I'll give you this and the butterfly when I return the cat and Ladybug to you.'

After her final message, she didn't hear anything back. It suited her fine, she had done what she needed to. Adrien was in doubt. If she was lucky, he would play right into her hand. She walked toward the boy's bedroom, listening for any sound of activity before knocking. Nathalie had played the part of the villain, now she needed to get the trust by playing the part of the substitute parent. While she stood waiting, she quickly sent a message over a private server.

'I know who Chat Noir is'

'what?'  
'who?' She bit her lip, reading the hastily sent messages.

'I can't tell you. but I _need_ you to trust me to get his miraculous on my own.'

'you know why I can't let you do that'

'I won't do it as Mayura. If we play our cards right, I can do it just as me.' She didn't have time to look for a reply as the door opened and Adrien Agreste practically threw himself into her arms. She tried not to let him feel how frail she had really become. They had had a conversation earlier in the day that had culminated in her ultimately having to tell Adrien part of the truth. She had had to tell him that she was dying; though she had brushed the cause off as "They don't know why." He had looked up at her then as he was looking up at her now, his eyes were red and watery from crying to himself. Adrien wiped at his eyes a bit, slightly scared that showing weakness like this would make him a target for an Akuma.

Nathalie guided him back to his bed and gave him a sad, but warm smile. She knew he was now looking for her more obvious symptoms. But she couldn't allow him the luxury of knowing everything, not yet. She could only hope that, with time, the boy she had come to love as her own would forgive both his father, and herself for what they would have to do. For now, she settled for sitting next to Adrien just enough that, if he so chose, he could curl up beside and lean on her. Once Adrien had settled against her shoulder, he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry... I wish I could help." he whimpered quietly, his face partially obscured by her blazer.

"Oh, Adrien...." She whispered into the top of his hair, "it's okay... I've known for a long time." She gently wrapped her arms around the teen and held him close to her.

"No. it's not." he argued."You're the only person in this house that shows me any affection since my mom left." Adrien could feel himself tearing up again and buried his face in her arm. "I don't want to lose you too."

"Hey" She reached down to tilt his chin up to face her, her own eyes starting to water slightly at the corners "Don't cry, It's going to be okay." Nathalie knew she was overstepping a _ton_ of boundaries that her boss had put in place, not that she hadn't already done so; unofficially taking over the role of his mother in Emilie's absense. She pressed her forehead to his, much like she had when he was younger. "Adrien, listen to me. there's nowhere you go, that I won't be with you." Adrien nodded a bit and sat up slightly, his blanket burrito dropping back over his face a bit. 

"This is the worst day I think I've ever had." He gave a small laugh as he wiped his eyes once more. He was trying desperately to pull himself together, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself. "This all feels like a nightmare that I'm gonna wake up from... but I know for a fact it's not."

"It coul'd be worse, I played middle-man between your father and Madame Bourgeois today." She said with a dry laugh, "I think she tried to fire me no less than-" the attempt to get Adrien to smile was cut short by a small coughing fit. When it finally subsided, she cleared her throat. "so, are you going to tell me why you were baracaded in your room?" 

Adrien was extremely distressed during her coughing fit, and frowned when she brushed it off. But he found himself telling her bits and pieces of what happened. When he finally concluded his tale of woe, he curled up in bed. Nathalie had nodded during his story, combing her fingers through his unruly hair. She had acted shocked at the revelation that he was Chat Noir but gave an empty promise to protect his identity for the rest of her life.

"I think it would be better to discuss it with Ladybug, like you said. As for Mayura not giving you a straight answer on why they want the Miraculous so badly.... maybe there's something bad that they can't explain, but they're trying to undo." Adrien had relaxed a bit as she combed his hair, listening to her before opening his mouth to respond.

"I'm not going to talk to Ladybug about this. She's just going to lash out at me. Especially since I don't know the full reason for why they're doing this. Besides, it's not like I can easily explain it without giving up my identity to everone else." 

Nathalie bit her lip at this, feeling her watch vibrate with a response from her boss-turned-villainous partner. She elected to ignore it in favor of closing her eyes and starting to hum a soft lullaby under her breath as she continued to stroke Adrien's hair. Adrien closed his eyes as he listened, relaxing as a safe feeling washed over him. He gave a small yawn before snuggling back into his blanket. 

"Thanks for talking to me Nathalie. it.... kinda mades me feel better that I have someone I can trust to talk to about these things." he mumbled as he fell asleep.

Nathalie let the boy drift off peacefully, waiting for her moment. She frowned as she studied his features, weighing her options internally; she could follow through with her plan and betray Adrien’s trust, possibly emotionally damaging the boy for life. Or she could walk away and ultimately betray Gabriel. The scales tipped even.

When she was certain Adrien was finally asleep, Nathalie removed her shoes and reached for his hand. It was for the best right? Doing this would bring back Emilie. Adrien would have his mother, Gabriel would have his beloved wife, everything would return to normal. Her hand shook slightly as these thoughts swam around her head. No more Hawkmoth, no more fighting. No longer would she be spending late nights comforting the elder Agreste after a particularly embarrassing defeat. 

She would no longer be able to spend moments like this; moments where, if she closed her eyes, Nathalie could almost imagine Adrien had been her own child instead. Her breath caught in her throat as her chest tightened. She tried to relax, tried to calm her frantic heart before... it was too late. Adrien had woken to her standing over him, his eyes wide with disbelief and hurt. She doubled over, struggling to take air into her burning lungs; vaguely aware of a wetness passing her lips with every cough before her vision went black.


	2. Tumblr couldn't even come up with tags for this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finds out the people who he should have been able to depend on the most are in fact his worst enemies.

Tumblr couldn't even have come up with tags for this

Adrien had been vaguely aware of someone standing over him and had opened his eyes to possibly one of his worst nightmares; Nathalie was trying to remove his ring. Before he could make a sound of alarm however, she had collapsed beside his bed and fallen to the ground. Worry flooded his eyes, drowning out any feelings he had had about what had nearly transpired, as he sat up quickly.

"Nat- Nathalie?! What's happening?" He panicked a bit as she continued to convulse and gasp for air. His mind raced as he thought of what he should do to help her. He stood to leave the room. "I'll go get Father, he'll-"

"NO!" She managed to gasp out, reaching for his arm desperately to stop him. "'m sorry.... I'm so sorry..." She kept repeating when she had breath to. When She did finally manage enough strength to lift her head, Adrien could see a trickle of blood running from the corners of her mouth; staining her lips an even darker red and blending with the choked tears that had fallen from her tired eyes. 

Adrien looked at her with eyes wide from terror as she refused to let him go get his father for help. When she began profusely apologizing, he shook his head.  
"That can be explained later, right now you need hel-"

"It was _me _!" She hissed, pulling Adrien down to her level. "I'm....." She broke off with a sob, followed by another horrendous coughing fit. But the damage had been done. Adrien stared quietly at the woman on the floor. His heart raced as this new information settled in his mind.__

____

__

"Wh-why?" he bit his lip, cursing his vulnerability as he backed away from her. He wasn't sure what to believe anymore and wanted space between them, just in case. Nathalie's coughs finally subsided again, but there was more blood now. She didn't want to frighten Adrien any further so she kept her head low as she gave up a single word.

"Emilie."

A knot formed in his stomach at his mother's name.

"Why? Why my mom? What could Hawkmoth possibly want with her?" He yelled a bit louder than he intended, but he was scared. He noticed the red coating her hand and ran to get a towel, bringing it back and holding it out with a trembling hand. Nathalie took the towel with the hand that wasn't holding her upper body off the floor and tried to clean the mess. 

".... want to bring her back... for you." she managed to get out with a hoarse voice. Adrien paused for a second before kneeling to help her.

"But I still don't understand..." His mind was still racing "Why would Hawkmoth care about that unless... no..." It clicked in his head. It made too much sense. "No.... please no. You're not saying...." He sat back, his eyes wide and a hand covering his mouth. " _PLEASE_ Nathalie... please don't tell me that all this time, I've been fighting against.." He cut himself off, not wanting to say it, hoping against all hope that by not saying it, he could render it unreal.

Nathalie couldn't even bring herself to answer him and instead let her shoulders fall limp, the hair that had fallen from her bun falling to obscure her face. She had failed. Not only that, she had failed so spectacularly that Adrien had managed to put the final piece into the puzzle. Hawkmoth was about to be defeated and it was because of her own weakness. 

Her silence told Adrien all he needed to know. The woman he had looked at like a second mother looked so defeated and vulnerable right now, it crushed him. He and his lady had tried so hard to figure out the identity of their foes, in the hopes of one day defeating them so all this could end. But this, this just hurt him in the deepest part of his heart. He slowly stood from where he had knelt, the knot in his stomach growing and twisting tighter. He wanted to run. He needed to find Ladybug. He knew she would be patrolling, but what would him going to her accomplish? What would he even say? That he found out it had been his own family terrorizing Paris, but don't worry because he was different? his eyes began to water as the dams holding back his emotions broke finally.

"Adrien" Her voice was weak, her breathing still erratic. "I can do it.. I can use the wish to bring back your mother."

"I..." Theoretically, this was a good thing, right? It would fix everything and his life would return to how it was, he'd have his mom back. But a part of Adrien still frowned in thought. Sure, he had fused his miraculous with another before. But he was still well aware of the risk it held. If Nathalie were to attempt it...   
"Y- You wouldn't...." his voice cracked before he shook his head "It's too dangerous. You wouldn't survive, especially now." 

Nathalie winced as Adrien continued to piece it together, especially when he realized someone would have to go in Emilie's place to bring her back. She saw as the realization came that that 'someone' would likely be the woman on the floor before him. 

Adrien paled. Surely his father had enough willpower to do it, but what would it cost to bring his mother back? He had been strong enough to decline the offer before, but with it presented to him now with new information in different terms... he put a hand to his ring. He needed air. He looked one last time to Nathalie before transforming and jumping through the window. 

When he had gone, Nathalie finally got to respond to the other message.

'I'n sorrt, spmethimh haooened and gas ypser pur originas olam. dpn't worrt, I'm fine' the text was battered, and horribly misspelled, but she knew he would be able to read it clearly. Now all she could hope was that it was convincing enough to keep him from looking for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo Boy, Okay I didn't plan on getting chapter two out so quickly, honestly this could have been part of chapter one but I wanted to see how it would work as a separate chapter, given the amount of crazy going on in chapter 1.


	3. Facebook suggested finding better friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien gets some much needed fresh air, Did Nathalie just die? Ladybug finally shows up

Chat Noir perched on the Eiffel Tower. It wasn't uncommon to find the cat there, especially when meeting up with Ladybug for patrolling the city. He drew his knees to his chest and rested his head on his knees, trying to calm his breathing. Despite his best efforts, the boy continued to shake. Below him, the city continued it's nightly routine. The people passing by below, blissfully unaware that one half of their heroic duo was having a crisis as his world fell apart before him. 

Adrien wiped his eyes and opened his baton to give Ladybug a ring, but he received no answer. He laughed a bit, it figured she wouldn't be available. He slowly stood and leaned over the railing, watching as Paris buzzed beneath him. He had to go home eventually, it wasn't like he had anyplace else to go. However, the peace and quiet of the night was nice and helped him calm down. After what seemed like hours had passed, the cat themed hero slowly started to make his way home, detouring just a bit in search of Ladybug. The heroine had been patrolling a different part of town and quickly sent him a message that she could meet him momentarily when she was done.

Once he had gotten to his home, Adrien entered quietly into his bedroom. Upon his return, the bedroom looked much the same as he had left it; except for Nathalie having moved to lean her back against the wall, her head back and her eyes closed. Adrien felt his heart immediately sink when he saw her. He tapped a quick reply to ladybug before hurrying over to her and checking for a pulse, assuming the worst.

"N-Nathalie?" The older woman winced and slowly opened her eyes partway, hearing him. 

"Adrien?" she rasped, "You came back?"

"Oh God, I thought you were dead." The boy breathed a sigh of relief, "I came back to grab something and I saw you out on the floor and panicked a-and...." His ring gave a few final warning beeps before the transformation wore off. Nathalie shook her head, watching as the costume faded away to reveal the boy beneath.

"I told you before, I'll be fine... it just takes-" she cut off with a few short coughs. Adrien was about to respond when a female voice behind him indicated that Ladybug arrived on the scene.

"Hey Kitty, I got your message- What _happened_ here?" she looked at the room, wincing at the sight of the blood on the floor and the two in the room against the wall. Adrien's face paled and he took on a panicked expression. 

"L-Ladybug... h-hi. what are you doing here?" He wasn't good at playing dumb. Ladybug responded by raising an eyebrow but gave him a straightforward answer. 

"I was responding to a request from my partner for assistance."

"Right... uh..." Adrien groaned, this was officially the worst day ever. He secretly hoped for ahole to open up beneath him or an akuma attack to occur to draw away from their present situation. He looked from Ladybug, back to Nathalie. "Well... this is super awkward." he forced as a laugh. Ladybug frowned.

"What's wrong with her?" the heroine asked, her brow set in concern.

"What isn't at this point?" he muttered before answering his lady. "She fell and hurt her leg." he covered, badly.

"a... hurt leg?" Ladybug rolled her eyes, that was Chat Noir levels of the dumest cover ever. Adrien could tell she wasn't buying his story and sighed, letting it go. 

"Did you see anything?" He asked carefully. Ladybug shook her head "Right... can we talk? somewhere more private?" He just wanted out of the room. Ladybug frowned, looking back to the third person in the room

"We should get your father"

"NO!" they both shouted rather quickly. Adrien continued, "Th-that's not a good idea right now." Nathalie shook her head in agreement. 

"Go. I'll be here." Ladbug climbed back out through the open window. Adrien gave her one last mournful look before transforming and following her  
\---------------------

Marinette, as Ladybug, waited outside Adrien's bedroom window. This was a bad situation, and it involved her beloved Adrien and his family. She was distracted from her thoughts by the arrival of her partner. 

"Hey Buggaboo"

"you sounded desperate in your message Kitty, is everything okay? what's happened?" Chat took a deep breath but decided to let it all go.

"You saw most of it, but Nathalie found out woh I was and.... well... Something bad happened." he took a deep breath before taking off his ring. 

"So You've been Adrien this whole time?" She was surprisingly calm, considering the effort she put into covering her own identity. "I... kind of figured as much... What else happened."

"Well.... It started with Mayura finding out who I was." He rubbed his arm, not really wanting to go into further details.

"She found out your identity?" She was floored, and a little heartbroken. Adrien nodded sadly and looked at the grass.

"She... she hasn't told Hawkmoth.. and I don't think she's going to, honestly." he paused before looking up at her. "I would suggest not revealing yourself to me even though you know who I am.... I found out who they were and... well they're closer than I thought, much more than I'd like." he muttered the last part very quietly under his breath. Ladybug frowned as he spoke, her mind working out what he could possibly mean until, it dawned on her. Adrien could tell she had made the connection from the way she sharply inhaled. 

"Adrien... you know what I have to do.. the miraculous isn't safe-"

"I know... I was going to give it back." he hastily added "I just..." Adrien bit his lip. He couldn't, he didn't want to. This ring was the only thing in his life that gave him the freedom he so desperately craved. "I... They're..." He took a deep breath. "He's doing it to bring my mother back" he said quietly.

"Adrien..." she frowned, hearing him. "She can't be brought back for nothing. Someone else would have to take her place, it's not fair to ask that of anyone."

"You think I want that to happen?" he lost control for a moment "I know who would be taking her plac and I hate the idea of it even more..." tears formed in his eyes. "My Lady, my whole world is falling apart in front of me and there's nothing I can do to stop it..." He furiously wiped at the tears as they fell, curling up to sit on the grass with his knees to his chest. "Mom's been gone so long... I don't really want her back." He admitted, knowing how bad it sounded "Yeah it would be nice but... it's been so long... and I have just as many happy memories with Nathalie..." he sniffed. "I don't even really want to stay here...." He looked up at her. "I'm scared." Ladybug sighed and sat next to him, pulling him close to her in a comforting hug.

"I know... but... maybe you need to tell your father what you just told me?" it was a gamble, but it felt like it might work. "I know you're scared, any sane person would be. But it gives us an opportunity to end this and stop Hawkmoth before anyone else can be hurt." Adrien shook his head.

"He never listens to me... I doubt he'll be willing to this time." He looked down at the ring in his hand with a sad expression before holding it out to her. "I'm sorry I wasn't a strong enough Chat Noir." Ladybug took the ring from him.

"I'm sorry too Adrien." Her fingers closed around the ring. "But this is something you need to do as Adrien Agreste... not as Chat Noir." he nodded with a sad expression.

"I dont think I can." He stiffened. "I don't think I can face him without everything coming apart.." he shook his head. "I know... I need to be brave, it's not like he would knowingly hurt his own son right?" He bit his lip, trying not to imagine exactly that happening. "I should go back... oh... uh... ladybug?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks.... and please stay safe."

"You too Adrien." The Spotted heroine vanished into the night as Adrien went back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so this one took a little longer to get out than I would have liked as I'm still transcribing it from a bunch of discord messages. We've seen Ladybug finally! Next chapter is the confrontation with the Mothfather himself.
> 
> ALSO! We officially are keeping the title (and working on coming up with fun quirky internet names for every chapter title.)


End file.
